National MRV (Monitoring, Reporting & Verification) Expert at Food & Agriculture Organization

The United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD Programme) is a collaboration between The Government of Nigeria, Cross River State, FAO, UNDP and UNEP. Within the partnership. FAO supports countries on technical issues related to forestry and the development of cost effective and reliable Monitoring, Measurement, Reporting and Verification (M.MRV) processes for emission reductions which form the core activities for the performance or result-based implementation phase of REDD+

Job Title: National MRV (Monitoring, Reporting &Verification) Expert

Duty Station: Calabar: Main Office at the Cross River State Forest Service with in-country travel
Duration: One year, full time, with a potential one year extension (subject to satisfactory performance)

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the direct technical supervision of the regional UN-REDD MRV expert is Accra, the National REDD+ Coordinator at the Federal Ministry of Environment & the Chairman of the Forestry Commission of the Cross River State, and working in close collaboration with the UN-REDD Chief Technical Advisor in Nigeria and the Assistant) FAO Representative for Programmes, the National MRV Expert will support and undertake activities leading to the development of a robust monitoring and reporting system to meet the needs of both the national and international reporting requirements for Nigeria.

1.) At Cross River State level:

• Support and undertake capacity needs assessment on forestry inventory and monitoring;
• Support the development of capacities for undertaking GHG inventory in forestry and land-use sectors;
• Assist in specialized training and capacity building on forest monitoring & participatory forest monitoring;
• Assist in the procurement and interpretation of satellite imagery;
• Assist in the selection & procurement of equipment for the MRV component of the REDD+ programme (notably Remote Sensing, GIS and Forest Inventory equipment and the installation of the GIS laboratory and online monitoring tools);
• Provide inputs and technical support in the areas of land use stratification, the design of a multi-resource forest inventory, field data collection and analysis, community-based forest monitoring, and the establishment of reference emission levels;
• Draft Terms of References. Letters of Agreements and coordinate the work of international and national consultants recruited to undertake MRV related work, such as studies on drivers of deforestation and forest degradation;
• Follow up execution and payments of Letters of Agreements and contracts;
• Assist in the preparation of project work plans for submission to the Project Steering Committee for review:
• Assist in the production of project progress reports on MRV, for submission to FAO (FAONG & HO) and in the production of the final MRV report of the project;
• Assist in data collection for country-specific wood density, and for development of allometric equations;
• Provide ongoing support to the REDD+ Technical Support Unit as deemed necessary.

2.) At Federal level:
Undertake capacity needs assessment on forestry monitoring:

• Develop capacities for undertaking GHG inventory in forestry and land-use sector;
• Provide training on forest monitoring to experts;
• Provide technical inputs to determine nationwide approach to stratification;
• Oversee and collaborate with the on-line tools for MRV;
• Provide ongoing support to REDD+ Technical support unit.

Qualifications, Experience and Competencies:

• Advanced University degree (at least Masters) in Forestry or a closely related field with emphasis on Forest Inventory, Remote Sensing, and GIS;
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience;
• Competence in forest information systems and information management, and experience in capacity building, forest modeling and MRV implementation is preferable;
• Good knowledge of climate change and REDD+, as well as UNFCCCIIPCC technical procedures and guidelines for the forestry sector;
• Strong statistical and data analysis skills are desirable;
• Excellent abilities in project coordination and monitoring are required, as well as demonstrated experience in coordinating multiple activities in a programmatic situation. Ability to meet strict deadlines and follow budgetary targets is a must;
• Demonstrated field experience in Nigeria and strong knowledge of relevant Nigerian institutions for REDD are required;
• Strong inter-personal skills, especially oral communication skills.
• Must be willing to regularly carry out presentations on the project status and its different components;
• Experience working in inter-cultural environments and relevant working experience for an international or multi-lateral organization are a plus.
• International travels may also be required.
• Proficiency in both spoken and written English is required.

Work Relationship
Frequent contact with internal and external officials of whom many are at the senior level.

Application Closing Date
12noon on Wednesday, 12th June, 2013

Method of application:
Application should include detailed curriculum vitae (CV) as well as copies of all academic and professional certificates. Candidates should also fill in the FAQ Personal History Form which can be downloaded at Click Here To Download Form

The envelope containing all the documents should be marked at the top left hand comer as
MRV Expert and should be addressed under confidential cover to:
FAO Representative
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
Old CBN Building
No.4, Zaria Street,
Off Samuel Ladoke Akintola Boulevard.
Garki 2, Abuja.

FAQ is a smoke-free environment and an equal opportunity employer. Qualified women are encouraged to apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.